2004/11/08 by Nikos Theodorakopoulos, Michel Peyrard, Robert S. MacKay · 1 citation
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #Advanced Chemical Physics Studies #Molecular Junctions and Nanostructures #Spectroscopy and Quantum Chemical Studies #cond-mat.soft #cond-mat.stat-mech #physics.bio-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.93.258101
published as Phys. Rev. Lett. 93, 258101 (2004) · 4 pages, 5 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. Lett
arxiv created 2004/11/08 · openalex publication_date 2004/12/13 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
The equilibrium states of the discrete Peyrard-Bishop Hamiltonian with one end fixed are computed exactly from the two-dimensional nonlinear Morse map. These exact nonlinear structures are interpreted as domain walls, interpolating between bound and unbound segments of the chain. Their free energy is calculated to leading order beyond the Gaussian approximation. Thermodynamic instabilities (e.g., DNA unzipping and/or thermal denaturation) can be understood in terms of domain wall formation.